Dragoncrest Cliffs The Wild Mountain Thyme

She managed to put on a brave face and maintain her composure as they executed each step of their plan. Her lip trembled when their daughter arrived looking grownup in ways that should have reassured Meerkat but only made her chest ache. Still, she managed to keep her heartbreak hidden, smiling as Njord addressed Mercy, then the crowd now gathering around them.

Meerkat even choked down a few bites of venison to toast her daughter’s departure. But when she saw the look of glowing pride on Njord’s face, she abruptly realized she had reached the end of her rope. Trying not to draw attention to herself, she began to back away from the gathering, slowly retreating to its fringes.

When her eyes found her daughter saying her farewells, Meerkat strode up to her and gave Mercy a sound kiss on the cheek. She whispered a few words in the young woman’s ear and then turned, avoiding her husband’s—and anyone else’s, for that matter—eye as she ducked her head and sought somewhere she could be alone to experience the feelings she couldn’t hide a moment longer.